Visit from Santa

We had a special visitor a few weeks ago...Santa himself stopped by to personally check on the kids!  They were surprised and excited...and scared out of their minds - the way we tend to be around any holiday figure!  :)  He did bring candy canes, which quickly won over the kiddos, and eventually they would at least sit on the same couch.  

We all SCREAM for ice cream!

The other morning, while taking a shower, I hear someone on the other side of my door banging and yelling.  Not the most uncommon occurrence in our household since everyone seems to think that Mom needs absolutely no privacy what-so-ever and that whatever they may be doing or thinking ranks WAY higher on the importance scale than anything Mom may be doing...but I digress.  :)  So here I am rushing through rinsing my hair and hurrying out of the shower, just in case this time it's something important.  As I shut off the water, I can finally hear who and what is the culprit this time.  Olivia is on the other side of the door...banging/knocking somewhat impatiently...waiting for her turn.  When I ask what she wants, this is the response that sweet girl gives me, "Uh Mom?  Tan (can) I have ice cream?"  WHAT?  It's 7:30 in the morning and she already wants ice cream?  Although in actuality, it's no surprise...this girl is all ME...and this just proved it once again!  :)  But still, the answer is no, which I told her.  But, when I opened the door, she was still sitting there in front of it, hugging a box of ice cream cones from the pantry.  "Pweez, Mommy?"  Still no...but at least she got a hug and tickle on the way back to the pantry to put the  cones away. 

This was not that morning...but she did get an ice cream cone eventually!  :)  Persistent little thing!  

Rockets

Thanks to some amazing friends, we were able to attend a Houston Rockets game this past weekend and had a blast.  The kids are already asking when we can go to another one!  

 The closest thing to a family shot that I could get!

 Garrett and Spencer...Rockets Fans through and through!

 E enjoying the coveted seat next to Dad!

 Cute Daddy/Daughter shot!

 Olivia eventually gave up on the game and just wanted to wander up and down the stairs...good thing we had an aisle seat!

Post-game shot, with E posing as a 7 foot player.  Too cute!  :)

Sweet Olivia

Here are only a few of the joys that Olivia has brought into my life today.  How I love this crazy/spunky girl!

Olivia, while riding in the car, has started taking off her top seatbelt and trying to roll down the windows. Ugh.  Doesn't help that she is the most stubborn child on the face of the planet and does not put it back on without me having to pull over the car and put it back on her myself.  And yes...I have her seatbelt as tight as I can get it!!!!  She's just so stinking skinny that she can wriggle out of ANYTHING!!!
    Me:  Livvy...put your seat belt on!!!  We are driving in the car!!!  Put it on right now!
    Olivia:  Why?   (asked innocently and sweetly and repeated over and over in every conversation)
    Me:  We wear our seatbelts to be safe.  PLEASE put it on!!!
    Olivia:  BUT I DON'T LIKE SAFE!!!!  I DON'T LIKE SAFE!!!
 
Heaven help me!!!


Hollering from both boys upstairs...
   Boys:  Mom...you NEED to come up here.
   Me : Okay.  What's wrong?
   Boys:  Olivia.
   Me: (already taking the stairs 2 at a time, knowing a disaster has already ensued, if that was the reason they gave) Okay, on my way.
   Boys: (as I'm rounding the corner, into the room) Uh, mom.  You're probably going to be sad.

So, I walk into the room.  Olivia, only being alone for a short time, had climbed up on the bathroom counter.  Pulled the drain on the sink so she could fill it up with water.  Added every hand-towel and/or washcloth that she could find and started to wring them out while leaning over the edge of the counter.
 
But at least I got my bathroom cleaned, right???  Most other things on my list of to-do's for the day got pushed back because of the constant chaos surrounding sweet Olivia...but I guess I should look at the things that she forced me to do...such as cleaning the upstairs bathroom today instead of tomorrow and getting all the laundry done...since she had soaked every towel in sight!  :)